


a sea of us

by cupidhyuck



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Angst, Coming of Age, Fluff, M/M, Slow Burn, mermaid au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-30
Updated: 2019-05-30
Packaged: 2020-03-29 21:56:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 529
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19028719
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cupidhyuck/pseuds/cupidhyuck
Summary: where donghyuck is a merman and mark doesn’t want to let him go





	a sea of us

growing up in jeju hadn’t been a problem for donghyuck. he wasn’t afraid of water or anything, actually, he loved summer and everything related to it. but he generally preferred places far away from the sea, unlike his peers or his friends.  
the ocean was something that had always fascinated him, but also intimidated a part of his soul that wasn’t ready to flourish yet.

at the age of 10, his mom encouraged him to take swimming lessons to step him out of his comfort zone.  
the thing was that donghyuck wanted to swim, but he just couldn’t.

at the age of 13, just as he gained the courage to step into the sea, donghyuck discovered a part of his being that would have either become the deepest secret of his life or his **downfall.**

he was a _merman._

creatures of the sea had always been a myth in jeju. even the elders believed that the volcanic island had been haunted by sea monsters since the dawn of time.

luckily, it was nighttime, and donghyuck was the only one at the beach.  
saying that his discovery had shaken him, would be an understatement.  
his body started changing the second he set his right foot into the water. his legs were quickly replaced by a delicate surface of dermis, covered by a layer of epidermal skin and a series of fish scales. even his ears took the form of a pointed shape covered by the same surface of skin.  
at the sight of his mutated body, donghyuck started crying.  
tears streaming down his soft and puffy cheeks, while he tried to get out of the water, but miserably failing because of the the weight of his tail and the painful feeling that his upper body put up with, when he tried to push himself out of the sea with his elbows.

he doesn’t remember anything that happened after that night. the only thing that comes to his mind is the way he hid his uncomfortable secret as the years went by.

during his boyhood, he never refused to play volleyball by the beach with his best friends, but he couldn’t avoid the weird look jeno always gave him when he came up with absurd excuses, whenever someone asked him to join the others in the water.

in one way or another, his parents became aware of his secret during vacation.  
they chose to handle the situation by supporting their son, but also by making him take specific pills to postpone the mutation process.  
after a couple of years, he couldn’t handle it anymore.  
the pills seemed like a step closer to 

donghyuck had been debating for a long time whether to leave everything close to him and start living as the creature he was supposed to be, or suffer forever and suppress his true self. 

_but he couldn’t find an answer._

jisung and jaemin were obviously worried about him. they saw how miserable he became and how his body seemed like it could float away in an instant, from how skinny it was.

he even kept **mark** , his _best friend_ , in the dark.  
the hell away from his shameful curse.


End file.
